Q&A with Rachel and Michael: Founders of Maptote

Brooklyn Denim Tote.

While vacationing in Germany in 2006,  Rachel Rheingold and Michael Berick fell in love with the country’s simple cotton reusable grocery totes that were inherently unique to each city they visited. Realizing their souvenirs did not have an American equivalent, the Brooklyn based couple decided to create a tote in the U.S. that detailed their borough’s unique aesthetic. Five years later and Maptote, the couple’s expanding line of reusable totes, grocery bags, wine totes and baby onesies, depicts over 50 locales.

Prior to founding Maptote, Rachel worked as a stylist and Michael a cartographer, skills that have proven themselves critical to the line’s development. Having collaborated with J.Crew, Martha Stewart and Kitson among others, Maptote continues to expand its line with the constant addition of new cities. Charleston, South Carolina, the latest city to join Maptote’s ranks, was picked based on the company’s online poll. You can currently visit their homepage to cast your vote on which locale you would like to see featured next.

The couple personally sources all of Maptote’s fabrics, and the designs are cut, sewn and printed in Brooklyn. Being a huge advocate of reusable grocery bags, I couldn’t resist contacting these amazing American-made designers to discuss their adorable eco-friendly brand.

Michael Berick and Rachel Rheingold.

Haute Americana:  What inspired you to manufacture Maptote in the U.S.?

Michael: We first began in 2006 wanting to make simple, cotton reusable bags.  We wanted an alternative to plastic bags and most grocery stores were not offering an alternative at this time. Since we had the environment in mind while designing these, it made sense to have them made local and minimize our carbon footprint. Having our products made in the U.S. was a no-brainer and a non-negotiable requirement.

HA: What item from your line do you use most often?

Michael: Rachel uses a Brooklyn denim tote everyday.  It is over three years old and has worn so nicely.  We have a seven month old baby, so she is getting lots of use of our baby one-pieces.  Its fun seeing her wear them.

HA: I adore your wine tote, what’s your favorite wine to carry in yours?

Rachel: Is it embarrassing to say we choose our wines by their label design? Ha. We love wine but are not definitely not connoisseurs.

Brooklyn, Los Angeles and Tuscany Wine Totes $13 a piece.

HA: When you begin designing a Maptote for a new city, where do you draw your inspiration? How do you determine what to feature on the bag?

Rachel: Michael has a background in cartography and geography and in addition has an abundance of knowledge of random facts, so he always has some fun ideas to start. We do research on the internet and try to find some locals to give us insight. Locals usually are the best source of information.

HA: Is there a clear front-runner for best-selling city?

Rachel: Brooklyn is probably our best-seller.  It surprisingly (and unsurprisingly) does better than Manhattan.  Los Angeles also does very well.

Los Angeles Organic Tote $26 and Brooklyn Baby One-Piece $25.

HA: Being stationed in Brooklyn, there are so many local American-made brands at your disposal, what are some of your favorites?

Michael: McClures pickles, Winter Water Factory… We love the Brooklyn Flea as its a great place to find local businesses.

HA: What’s up next for Maptote?

Rachel: We’ve recently added alphabet buttons to our line.  We get a lot of custom requests and we thought the buttons would be a great way to personalize your Maptote. We’re also about to add Dopp Kits (toiletry bags) to our line. We’re constantly adding new locations.

Click here to view the entire Maptote collection.

Maptote Denim Tote $26, Grocery Tote $17 and Beach Tote $37.